WWE Network
WWE Network is a subscription-based video streaming service owned by WWE, using the infrastructure of Major League Baseball Advanced Media. The concept was originally announced in 2012. On January 8, 2014, WWE announced the network would launch on February 24, 2014 in the United States. On July 31, 2014, WWE announced that the network would be expected to go live in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Spain and the Nordics, among other countries starting on August 12. On October 31, WWE announced that the Network would be available in the United Kingdom on November 3. WWE Network is also expected to arrive in Italy, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Japan, India, China, Thailand, and Malaysia at a future date. The Network consists of both a 24-hour linear streaming channel and an on-demand programming library. Beginning in December 2014, WWE Network will be available for US$9.99 per month with no commitment. Overview In September 2011, WWE officially announced plans to launch the WWE Network in 2012 as a pay-TV channel. WWE then conducted a survey asking people if they would pay for the WWE Network if it were a premium channel. In an email sent to WWE fans who might be interested in the WWE Network, WWE surveyed fans for their thoughts about the WWE Network airing WWE's pay-per-views to subscribers for no additional charge. The survey also noted that feature repeats of Raw and SmackDown, as well as footage from WCW, ECW, NWA, XFL, AWA and WWE movies would also make the lineup. Original programming was also noted in the survey. As the result of an online poll, WrestleMania Rewind was chosen as a name for a new WWE Network show on October 17, 2011. The original launch date had been April 1, 2012, which would have coincided with WrestleMania XXVIII. WWE.com featured a countdown clock that would have expired on April 1, however the clock was quietly removed, and the network did not launch as advertised. WWE chief marketing officer Michelle Wilson allayed fears about the future of the WWE Network, saying "There will be a WWE network in some shape or form. We are in late-stage negotiations with distributors", and confirmed that WWE Legends' House had been filmed. In April 2013, WWE had switched plans and aimed to release the WWE Network as a premium pay-TV outlet, with a potential price of $15 a month. On Old School Raw in January 2014, WWE ran teasers promoting an announcement on January 8 at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. It was later confirmed that the announcement would concern the WWE Network. At the Consumer Electronics Show on January 8, WWE revealed a comprehensive plan which would see a launch date of February 24, 2014 in the United States. WWE Classics On Demand closed on January 31, 2014 to make way for the WWE Network. A free trial period was offered during the week of the launch. The logo initially used for the WWE Network eventually became the standard logo used by the WWE corporation in August 2014. In April 2014 ahead of WrestleMania XXX, the Network received acclaim, with the New York Times saying that WWE had "positioned themselves on the cutting edge of Internet television". Later that month, the company announced that the network had 667,000 subscribers, short of the one million subscribers they needed to break even. As WWE's stock fell 50% the following month, Forbes described low subscription numbers as being of "additional concern" for investors after WWE's underwhelming NBCUniversal renewal deal. WWE offered a second free preview week of the WWE Network, which started July 7, in an attempt to sign new subscribers. A second report released at the end of July indicated that the network had reached 700,000 subscribers. WWE's goal is to reach one million subscribers by the end of 2014. On July 31, 2014, the company announced a 10-year, Canadian distribution deal for WWE content with Rogers Media which will see the company distribute WWE Network as a premium television service. Also on July 31, 2014, it was announced that the WWE Network will launch in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Spain and the Nordics, among others on August 12, with Italian, Arab, German, Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Thai and Malaysian launches planned for a later date. On October 30, 2014, in an attempt to increase subscription numbers from an announced figure of 731,000, the 6-month subscription requirement was dropped, allowing subscribers the option to cancel at any time. Programming Original programming In-Ring * All WWE pay-per-view events (currently 12 per year) broadcast live. * WWE NXT - Airs weekly on Wednesdays, including periodic live specials. * 205 Live - Airs weekly on Tuesday. * Pre-shows and Backstage Pass post-shows for Raw and SmackDown. * This Week in WWE – A weekly 30-minute recap of the past week's WWE action. * WWE Main Event - Weekly added episodes with three weeks of delay (original broadcast continues to air on Hulu). * Talking Smack - A post-show for SmackDown pay-per-views hosted by Renee Young and several guest hosts. The show was originally a weekly post-show for SmackDown Live and was hosted by Young and Shane McMahon or Daniel Bryan or John "Bradshaw" Layfield. * Raw Talk - A post-show for Raw pay-per-views. * WWE Network Exclusive Current Shows * First Look - A first look at upcoming WWE Home Video releases. * This Week in WWE - A weekly 30-minute recap of the past week's WWE action, hosted by Scott Stanford and Charly Caruso. * Bring it to the Table - Peter Rosenberg hosts while Corey Graves and John "Bradshaw" Layfield debate controversial topics. * WWE Ride Along - A show following WWE personalities as they drive from city to city. * WWE Breaking News - Breaking news from WWE. * Southpaw Regional Wrestling - A miniseries based on a southern wrestling promotion set in the year 1987. Also airs on YouTube. * Table for 3 - Three WWE personalities share stories over dinner. * WWE Original Specials - Documentaries on WWE personnel and events exclusive to the WWE Network. * WWE Beyond The Ring - Documentary portions of previously-released WWE DVDs featuring various performers, organizations, and storylines. * WWE 24 - A show that goes behind the scenes of WWE events and Superstars. * WWE 365 - A documentary series that reviews a year in the career of a WWE talent. * WWE Music Power 10 - A top 10 WWE Music countdown show. * WWE Superstar Ink - Corey Graves asks WWE Superstars about the meaning behind their tattoos. Also airs on YouTube. * Straight to the Source - An interview show hosted by Corey Graves. * WWE Photo Shoot - A show where WWE Superstars and Legends sit down to explain the stories behind photos of their careers and lives. Also airs on YouTube. * Camp WWE - A TV-MA animated short-form comedy series with Seth Green. Former Shows * The Edge and Christian Show - A comedy series and variety show starring Edge and Christian. * Holy Foley! - A reality TV show starring Mick Foley and his family. * Jerry Springer Too Hot for TV - Jerry Springer hosts this look back at some of WWE's most outrageous and embarrassing moments. * Unfiltered With Renee Young - Interview show hosted by Renee Young. Topics discussed include WWE Superstars' wrestling careers and stories, music, and movies. * WWE Legends' House - A reality television series featuring several WWE legends. * The Monday Night War: WWE vs. WCW - A television series about the Monday Night Wars. * WWE Slam City - An animated series featuring current WWE talent, based on the Mattel toy line of the same name. * The WWE List - A fast-paced, interactive series that tallies tweets from the WWE Universe to compile the most unusual lists ever in WWE history. * WWE WrestleMania Rewind - The first show named to be part of the network; a retrospective look at WrestleMania's memorable moments. * WWE Countdown - A top-10 countdown show based on interactive fan polls. * WWE Rivalries - A show documenting rivalries in wrestling. * Tough Talk - A post-show to Tough Enough hosted by Byron Saxton. * Legends with JBL - An interview show hosted by John "Bradshaw" Layfield featuring WWE Legends. * WWE Culture Shock - Corey Graves reveals a variety of unique venues, customs, music, food, and people as WWE's tour travels around the world. * WWE Breaking Ground - A special look at the WWE Performance Center and what it takes to become a WWE Superstar. * Stone Cold Podcast - Interview series hosted by Stone Cold Steve Austin. * Live! With Chris Jericho - Interview series hosted by Chris Jericho. * Swerved - A hidden camera prank show featuring WWE performers. * WWE Story Time - An animated series featuring WWE Superstars telling stories from the past, narrated by Gene Okerlund. * WWE Cruiserweight Classic - Thirty-two of the industry's cruiserweights showcasing the cruiserweight division. * WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament - A two-day tournament to crown the first ever WWE United Kingdom Champion. * WWE United Kingdom Championship Special - A 90-minute, in-ring show starring the company's top UK and 205 Live cruiserweight talent. * Mae Young Classic - A two-day tournament featuring thirty-two of the industry's women wrestlers showcasing the women's division. Collections WWE Network offers "WWE Collections", which are video packages of memorable characters and storylines.Currently there are 51 available collections on the service, with the "Best of Stone Cold vs. Mr McMahon" parts 1 and 2 both appearing together. Current collections * AJ Styles: Beyond Phenomenal * Alexa Bliss: Five Feet Of Fury * Asuka: The Undefeated Empress * Batista Unleashed * Becoming The Rock * Best of Stone Cold vs. Mr. McMahon Part I * Best of Stone Cold vs. Mr. McMahon Part II * Best of WWE Network * Bobby "The Brain" Heenan * Bret vs Shawn: The Rivalry * Celebrating Black History * Daniel Bryan's Greatest Moments * Destruction Of The Shield * Dusty Rhodes: The American Dream * DX: Are You Ready? * Eddie Guerrero: Viva La Raza * WWE Flashback Friday (changes weekly) * The Four Horsewomen Of NXT * Goldberg: Who's Next? * Hall of Fame: Class of 2018 * Hell in a Cell * Kurt Angle: It's True, It's True * Ladder Match: Reaching For Glory * The Legacy Of Shane McMahon * New to WWE Network (changes regularly) * New Classic Content (changes monthly) * The New Day: Feel The Positivity * Piper's Pit: Born to Controversy * Randy Savage: Cream Of The Crop * RAW: 25 - 100-76 * RAW: 25 - 75-51 * RAW: 25 - 50-26 * RAW: 25 - 25-01 * Razor Ramon: Oozing Machismo * Ric Flair: Forever The Man * Ric Flair: Stylin' and Profilin' * Sami Zayn: Never Be The Same * The Rise of John Cena * Sammartino: The Legend Lives * Shawn Michaels: Mr. WrestleMania * Shinsuke Nakamura: The Rock Star * Sting: The Icon Defined * Three Faces of Foley * Tribute to the Troops * Trish and Lita: Evolutionary * The WarGames Collection * Undertaker: Dawn Of The Deadman * WWE Match of the Year 2017 * WrestleMania Monday * WWE Shorts Removed collections * Chyna: Ninth Wonder of the World * Best of Swerved Season One * The Canadian Collection * Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz * Hall of Fame: Class of 2017 * TLC Tag Teams * WrestleMania Show Stealers * Subscriber's Choice (changes quarterly) * George 'The Animal' Steele (removed October 2017) * The Incomparable Mr. Fuji (removed October 2017) * Jimmy Snuka: The Superfly (removed October 2017) * The Cruiserweight Anthology (removed December 2017) * Gravest Matches Ever (removed December 2017) * Randy Orton: Apex Predator (removed December 2017) * ECW Barely Legal Revisited (removed January 2018) * Colorful Characters (removed February 2018) * Lesnar: Road to the Undisputed Title (removed February 2018) * Greatest Matches Ever (removed February 2018) * WWE Hidden Gems (moved to Vault section) Repeat/archival programming In addition to previous editions of the original programs listed above: * Virtually every WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-view event ever produced is available for on-demand streaming. Although WWE promotes the selection as every pay-per-view ever made, a handful of international PPV events have not yet been made available. * Encore broadcasts of Raw and SmackDown (original broadcasts will continue to air exclusively on cable television). * Additional content from WWE Libraries, which has a library of over 100,000 hours of programming, will be added over time. * select episodes of World Class Championship Wrestling from 1982-1983 and 1985-1987 * Every episode of ECW Hardcore TV * Every episode of WCW Clash of the Champions * All episodes of WCW Monday Nitro * Every episode of Saturday Night's Main Event and The Main Event * Encore broadcasts of Seasons 1, Season 2 & Season 3 of Total Divas. * Select WWE Classics On Demand programming. * Select episodes of Tuesday Night Titans from 1984-1985 * Every episodes of WWE Tribute to the Troops * Select episodes of WWF Prime Time Wrestling from 1986-1987 * Every episode of WWE Tough Enough * Every WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony * Every episodes of Raw * Every episode of SmackDown * Every episode of NWA World Championship Wrestling Saturday Edition from November 2, 1985 to July 8, 1989 * Select episodes of Smoky Mountain Wrestling from 1994 * Select episodes of Mid-South Wrestling from 1981-1986 * Select episodes of AWA Championship Wrestling from 1986-1988 * Select episodes of Global Wrestling Federation from 1990-1992 * Every episode of Total Bellas * Seasons 1-5 of Total Divas * sselect episodes WWE Superstars from 2014-2016 * Every episode of ECW on TNN * Select episodes of WWE Heat from 1998–1999 Removed Content * Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling * Stampede Wrestling * As Seen on YouTube * WWE Quick Hits Although the United States parental guidelines rating system rates most weekly WWE television programs TV-PG, the WWE Network broadcasts a wider range of content. A parental controls block is available and content rated TV-14 and TV-MA are preceded by an advisory warning. The network airs footage featuring Chris Benoit, but an advisory warning is displayed before each airing; it marks the first major airing of Benoit footage since his murder-suicide in 2007. Over the Edge 1999, infamous for Owen Hart's death at the event, is also available for the first time since its original air date, however some portions of the event have been edited out of respect to the Hart wrestling family. Matches called with Jesse Ventura on commentary, which have previously been dubbed over due to a 1991 lawsuit, air with the original commentary. While the network promoted on-demand airings as being unedited, some instances of expletives and all nudity are censored. At launch, all but one of New Jack's matches were removed from ECW pay-per-views, as was his surprise return at Heat Wave 1998, due to a combination of musical rights issues over his entrance music and the inability to remove the music without losing the original commentary audio. The deleted matches were eventually reinstated with replacement music and newly recorded Joey Styles commentary. Several pay-per-views are copies of their condensed home video releases, rather than the live versions, and so are missing matches. Impact on the TV industry In an interview with Time, Michelle D. Wilson, chief revenue and marketing officer for WWE, stated their reason for bypassing cable companies and instead only offering the WWE Network online: "Digital over-the-top offerings represent the future, and given that our passionate fans consume five times more online video content than non-WWE viewers and over-index for purchasing online subscriptions such as Netflix and Hulu Plus, we believe the time is now for a WWE Network". In response to the announcement, DirecTV issued a statement saying that they are re-evaluating whether to continue carrying WWE's pay-per-view events. Because these events would also be available on the WWE Network once it launches, it might reduce the number of pay-per-view purchases via cable and satellite providers. However, Vince McMahon suggested that pay-TV operators would ultimately decide to continue to carry WWE's pay-per-view events, given that providers keep a significant share of each purchase, and incur minimal costs (apart from WWE's share of the fee for each purchase) to carry the events: "It's found money for them." DirecTV later quietly dropped carriage of WWE PPVs. In response, WWE said, "Yes, DIRECTV has decided to stop offering our PPV's residentially and commercially. The only other option would be to work through the local cable provider." On February 19, 2014, Dish Network announced that they would carry WWE pay-per-views on an event by event basis, beginning with Elimination Chamber. Dish Network released a statement saying, "Dish will not offer the ‘WWE Elimination Chamber’ PPV on 2/23. WWE is not willing to adjust their PPV costs to satellite and cable companies, which is unfair to their customers. We need to re-focus our efforts to support partners that better serve Dish customers." Dish later made a decision to air Wrestlemania XXX. Advertising In October 2014, it was reported Mattel, Kmart, and Pepsi would begin advertising on the network starting the week of October 13. Wilson stated that although no commercial breaks will occur during scheduled programming, 30 second adverts would run in between shows, and that one 15 or 30-second advert would be shown prior to every fourth stream for on-demand content. WWE Legends House.jpg WWE Countdown New Logo.jpg WWE 24 logo.jpg External links * WWE Network on Facebook * * WWE Network Official Website Category:World Wrestling Entertainment Category:Wrestling streaming services